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Evan Ryder #5
White Wolf
New York Times bestselling author Eric Van Lustbader pits Evan Ryder against a new and unfathomable threat in this heart-stopping new installment of this blockbuster thriller series!
In this cutting-edge installment of the acclaimed thriller series, New York Times bestselling author Eric Van Lustbader thrusts listeners into a world where power is being redefined by a revolutionary communication program that renders modern encryption obsolete, one that will topple global power structures and give rise to technology-driven totalitarian states.
Evan Ryder races against time in a landscape where secrets can no longer hide behind digital walls. Ilona Shokova, the elusive, deadly assassin White Wolf, holds the key to mastering this unhackable method.
Two powerful, deadly women, one quest. Will either one of them survive?
In this pulse-pounding thriller, the future isn't just written in code—it's locked behind it.
Strap in for Lustbader's next explosive novel in the Evan Ryder series; an action-packed rollercoaster that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
In this cutting-edge installment of the acclaimed thriller series, New York Times bestselling author Eric Van Lustbader thrusts listeners into a world where power is being redefined by a revolutionary communication program that renders modern encryption obsolete, one that will topple global power structures and give rise to technology-driven totalitarian states.
Evan Ryder races against time in a landscape where secrets can no longer hide behind digital walls. Ilona Shokova, the elusive, deadly assassin White Wolf, holds the key to mastering this unhackable method.
Two powerful, deadly women, one quest. Will either one of them survive?
In this pulse-pounding thriller, the future isn't just written in code—it's locked behind it.
Strap in for Lustbader's next explosive novel in the Evan Ryder series; an action-packed rollercoaster that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published December 2, 2025
51 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Eric Van Lustbader
169 books1,236 followersEric Van Lustbader was born and raised in Greenwich Village. He is the author of more than twenty-five best-selling novels, including The Ninja, in which he introduced Nicholas Linnear, one of modern fiction's most beloved and enduring heroes. The Ninja was sold to 20th CenturyFox, to be made into a major motion picture. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages.
Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business, where he worked for Elektra Records and CBS Records, among other companies.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericva...
Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business, where he worked for Elektra Records and CBS Records, among other companies.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericva...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 8, 2025
3.5 rounded up because I haven't read the first 4.
December 21, 2025
Eric Van Lustbader, the master of adventure and espionage, is back with the fifth entry in his outstanding Evan Ryder series. WHITE WOLF is perhaps the most personal story yet for his crafty female protagonist.
Why do I say this? It’s not because of the inevitable showdown between Evan Ryder and the unstoppable Russian operative Ilona Shokova (aka White Wolf). Evan’s mission is a last-ditch effort to save the life of a Russian boy she considers to be her son, Timur, who has fallen into dangerous hands. This will be a nearly impossible task for Evan as Ilona has been described by both her enemies and her handlers as something close to inhuman, a true killing machine as dangerous as anyone walking the earth.
At the start of the novel, Ilona is being held in a specialized maximum-security cell deep within Siberia. But it is only a matter of time before she seizes the opportunity to escape, leaving a string of bodies behind in her wake.
In an encounter that will strongly impact Evan’s life, an Asian operative meets with tech magnate Marsden Tribe, who is Evan’s sometime lover but is mostly using her to his own advantage. They are discussing Timur, whose mother is Evan's recently departed best friend who asked Evan to raise him as her own. The problem is that his father is a Russian sovereign, and Moscow wants him back badly.
Evan and Timur are attacked and held by a group that uses the boy as a political pawn. When Timur is taken from Evan, they blackmail her to find and take down Ilona if she ever wants to see him alive again. Evan has heard of the legend of White Wolf but always knew him to be a man. That man is actually Ilona’s father, whom Ilona has dedicated her life to emulating. As Evan learns more about her adversary, it becomes clear that this incarnation of White Wolf is far more deadly and dangerous than the original. Ilona has her own agenda and does not expect Evan to get in her way.
Not only must Evan locate Ilona, there is a bizarre item that Ilona allegedly is in possession of that she must retrieve --- a pair of human teeth, molars to be precise. This is almost akin to Dorothy obtaining the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West in THE WIZARD OF OZ, but Evan must pull this off in order to save Timur.
Behind these various missions and quests is a powerful and unhackable AI technology that will change the world as we know it --- and it turns out that Ilona may be the key to unlocking it. With that additional threat at play, the actions of every character are immediately amplified, and it becomes far more than personal vendettas or revenge tasks that will drive this story to its finish.
For the most part, WHITE WOLF is what you would expect from an Eric Van Lustbader book. That is certainly not a bad thing as he is a well-renowned expert in crafting espionage novels that grab your attention and don't let go. The events that play out here continue to drive the series forward and should please his longtime readers.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
Why do I say this? It’s not because of the inevitable showdown between Evan Ryder and the unstoppable Russian operative Ilona Shokova (aka White Wolf). Evan’s mission is a last-ditch effort to save the life of a Russian boy she considers to be her son, Timur, who has fallen into dangerous hands. This will be a nearly impossible task for Evan as Ilona has been described by both her enemies and her handlers as something close to inhuman, a true killing machine as dangerous as anyone walking the earth.
At the start of the novel, Ilona is being held in a specialized maximum-security cell deep within Siberia. But it is only a matter of time before she seizes the opportunity to escape, leaving a string of bodies behind in her wake.
In an encounter that will strongly impact Evan’s life, an Asian operative meets with tech magnate Marsden Tribe, who is Evan’s sometime lover but is mostly using her to his own advantage. They are discussing Timur, whose mother is Evan's recently departed best friend who asked Evan to raise him as her own. The problem is that his father is a Russian sovereign, and Moscow wants him back badly.
Evan and Timur are attacked and held by a group that uses the boy as a political pawn. When Timur is taken from Evan, they blackmail her to find and take down Ilona if she ever wants to see him alive again. Evan has heard of the legend of White Wolf but always knew him to be a man. That man is actually Ilona’s father, whom Ilona has dedicated her life to emulating. As Evan learns more about her adversary, it becomes clear that this incarnation of White Wolf is far more deadly and dangerous than the original. Ilona has her own agenda and does not expect Evan to get in her way.
Not only must Evan locate Ilona, there is a bizarre item that Ilona allegedly is in possession of that she must retrieve --- a pair of human teeth, molars to be precise. This is almost akin to Dorothy obtaining the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West in THE WIZARD OF OZ, but Evan must pull this off in order to save Timur.
Behind these various missions and quests is a powerful and unhackable AI technology that will change the world as we know it --- and it turns out that Ilona may be the key to unlocking it. With that additional threat at play, the actions of every character are immediately amplified, and it becomes far more than personal vendettas or revenge tasks that will drive this story to its finish.
For the most part, WHITE WOLF is what you would expect from an Eric Van Lustbader book. That is certainly not a bad thing as he is a well-renowned expert in crafting espionage novels that grab your attention and don't let go. The events that play out here continue to drive the series forward and should please his longtime readers.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
December 20, 2025
The fifth novel in the Evan Ryder series from master of adventure and espionage Eric Van Lustbader, WHITE WOLF, is perhaps the most personal entry yet for his crafty female protagonist.
What makes WHITE WOLF so personal is not the inevitable showdown between Evan Ryder and the unstoppable Russian operative, Ilona Starkova a.k.a. The White Wolf, but the fact that Evan’s mission is a last-ditch effort to save the life of the young man she considers her son, the Russian boy named Timur who has fallen into dangerous hands. This will be a nearly impossible task for Evan as Ilona has been described by both her enemies and handlers as something close to inhuman, a true killing machine as dangerous as anyone walking the earth. At the start of the novel, she is being held in a specialized maximum-security cell deep within Siberia, but it is only a matter of time before she spots her opportunity to escape, leaving a string of bodies behind in her wake.
In a meeting that will have heavy impact on the life of Evan Ryder, an Asian operative named An Binh meets with the tech magnate Marsden Tribe, who was the sometime lover of Evan’s but mostly using her to his own advantage. They are discussing Timur, who was the son of Evan’s recently departed best friend whom she asked Evan to raise as her own. The problem was that Timur was also the son of a Russian sovereign and Moscow wants him back badly.
Evan and Timur are attacked and held by a group that wants him as a political pawn and when Timur his taken from her, they blackmail her to find and take down the White Wolf if she ever wants to see Timur alive again. Evan has heard of the legend of White Wolf but knew of him as a man. Little did she know that this was the father of Ilona whom she had dedicated her life to emulating. As Evan learns more about her adversary, it becomes evident that this incarnation of the White Wolf is far more deadly and dangerous than the original. We will also learn that Ilona, upon her escape from her prison, has her own personal agenda and mission and is not expecting Evan Ryder to get in her way.
The mission Evan is set on is unique as she must not only locate Ilona but there is a bizarre item that Ilona allegedly is in possession of that she must obtain --- a pair of human teeth, molars to be precise. This is almost akin to Dorothy obtaining the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard Of Oz, but it is a task Evan must be successful at to save poor Timur.
Behind the various missions and quests that the myriads of characters in WHITE WOLF are on is a powerful technology created by Marsden Tribe Daedalus is an allegedly unhackable AI technology that will change the world as we know it, and it turns out that Ilona may be the key to unlocking this technology. With that additional threat at play the actions of every character in this novel are immediately amplified and it becomes far more than personal vendettas or revenge tasks that will drive this story to its finish.
For the most part, WHITE WOLF is what you would expect from an Eric Van Lustbader novel. This is not a bad thing, as he is well-renowned expert in espionage novels, and the events in this novel continue to drive the Evan Ryder series forward and should please all of his longtime readers.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
What makes WHITE WOLF so personal is not the inevitable showdown between Evan Ryder and the unstoppable Russian operative, Ilona Starkova a.k.a. The White Wolf, but the fact that Evan’s mission is a last-ditch effort to save the life of the young man she considers her son, the Russian boy named Timur who has fallen into dangerous hands. This will be a nearly impossible task for Evan as Ilona has been described by both her enemies and handlers as something close to inhuman, a true killing machine as dangerous as anyone walking the earth. At the start of the novel, she is being held in a specialized maximum-security cell deep within Siberia, but it is only a matter of time before she spots her opportunity to escape, leaving a string of bodies behind in her wake.
In a meeting that will have heavy impact on the life of Evan Ryder, an Asian operative named An Binh meets with the tech magnate Marsden Tribe, who was the sometime lover of Evan’s but mostly using her to his own advantage. They are discussing Timur, who was the son of Evan’s recently departed best friend whom she asked Evan to raise as her own. The problem was that Timur was also the son of a Russian sovereign and Moscow wants him back badly.
Evan and Timur are attacked and held by a group that wants him as a political pawn and when Timur his taken from her, they blackmail her to find and take down the White Wolf if she ever wants to see Timur alive again. Evan has heard of the legend of White Wolf but knew of him as a man. Little did she know that this was the father of Ilona whom she had dedicated her life to emulating. As Evan learns more about her adversary, it becomes evident that this incarnation of the White Wolf is far more deadly and dangerous than the original. We will also learn that Ilona, upon her escape from her prison, has her own personal agenda and mission and is not expecting Evan Ryder to get in her way.
The mission Evan is set on is unique as she must not only locate Ilona but there is a bizarre item that Ilona allegedly is in possession of that she must obtain --- a pair of human teeth, molars to be precise. This is almost akin to Dorothy obtaining the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard Of Oz, but it is a task Evan must be successful at to save poor Timur.
Behind the various missions and quests that the myriads of characters in WHITE WOLF are on is a powerful technology created by Marsden Tribe Daedalus is an allegedly unhackable AI technology that will change the world as we know it, and it turns out that Ilona may be the key to unlocking this technology. With that additional threat at play the actions of every character in this novel are immediately amplified and it becomes far more than personal vendettas or revenge tasks that will drive this story to its finish.
For the most part, WHITE WOLF is what you would expect from an Eric Van Lustbader novel. This is not a bad thing, as he is well-renowned expert in espionage novels, and the events in this novel continue to drive the Evan Ryder series forward and should please all of his longtime readers.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
January 7, 2026
3.5 First in series for me try. My husband brought it home. Not my kind of genre except for the suspense and author’s compelling talent in storytelling. A complete change of scene for me. However, I think Evan Ryder has had all the abuse I can tolerate. She needs to get to her Nirvana! (Without ME)
~
SIBERIA in December
YURI RAIDK is earning big money he needs to pay back what he has spent on alcohol and gambling which compels him to be the isolated prison guard to ILONA STARKOVA. She is considered to be inhuman, too dangerous to let free in any civilization. He’s scary-looking himself, a giant bearded man with with a damaged face. He is kind and gentle to his transportation, a reindeer he named for his son. This is remarkable because he’s a brute to people, even sadistic. Ilona is stronger than he is and much smarter so she escapes him.
Ilona, the WHITE WOLF, says a tearful goodbye to native “slave” boy Nyurgun who brought her meals—as they part ways, free again. She has two molars she yanked from the guard’s mouth; solid black “nuggets.” Her intention is to return to Japan.
EVAN RYDER is her nemesis. It’s “East vs West” in the all-powerful IT-uber-wealthy world. One side wants IT to run totalitarian governments. As with most any novel, a viewpoint is established with thinly disguised, posturing of political views by use of extremes. This includes the fantastical or perhaps futuristic goals.
The story is driven with constant moving parts. A deeply intricate complicated tale of espionage world to gain the “best” (controlling) IT. Now an “accepted” fact of life for us. Humans adapt to anything, hence our ability to survive the centuries of changes for better or worse. Survival.
Intriguing, devious, complicated story of the value of IT vs Human integrity in terms of morality vs the grab for ultimate power. Interwoven with touching, very human moments. Lustbader is an engaging author; he deserves high ratings.
~
SIBERIA in December
YURI RAIDK is earning big money he needs to pay back what he has spent on alcohol and gambling which compels him to be the isolated prison guard to ILONA STARKOVA. She is considered to be inhuman, too dangerous to let free in any civilization. He’s scary-looking himself, a giant bearded man with with a damaged face. He is kind and gentle to his transportation, a reindeer he named for his son. This is remarkable because he’s a brute to people, even sadistic. Ilona is stronger than he is and much smarter so she escapes him.
Ilona, the WHITE WOLF, says a tearful goodbye to native “slave” boy Nyurgun who brought her meals—as they part ways, free again. She has two molars she yanked from the guard’s mouth; solid black “nuggets.” Her intention is to return to Japan.
EVAN RYDER is her nemesis. It’s “East vs West” in the all-powerful IT-uber-wealthy world. One side wants IT to run totalitarian governments. As with most any novel, a viewpoint is established with thinly disguised, posturing of political views by use of extremes. This includes the fantastical or perhaps futuristic goals.
The story is driven with constant moving parts. A deeply intricate complicated tale of espionage world to gain the “best” (controlling) IT. Now an “accepted” fact of life for us. Humans adapt to anything, hence our ability to survive the centuries of changes for better or worse. Survival.
Intriguing, devious, complicated story of the value of IT vs Human integrity in terms of morality vs the grab for ultimate power. Interwoven with touching, very human moments. Lustbader is an engaging author; he deserves high ratings.
February 25, 2026
A thrill a minute read...(well, almost!). WHITE WOLF is Eric Van Lustbader's 5th Evan Ryder novel. Ryder is an American hero, having excelled in the military, and more recently working for an American government company dealing with countries and their enforcers who threaten the US. It involves the dark side of foreign intrigue and keeping America safe. Evan Ryder is a female dynamo...an excellent fighter who had not yet met an enemy agent that she can not confront and come out victorious.
WHITE WOLF is a page-turner, thrill a minute story with MANY characters, both good and bad. For me, the huge cast of characters made it difficult for me to keep a list of the good and the bad ones. It would be most helpful if Lustbader included a list of characters and their roles as a number of authors do. It would be most helpful, especially for an old guy like me
1
WHITE WOLF is a page-turner, thrill a minute story with MANY characters, both good and bad. For me, the huge cast of characters made it difficult for me to keep a list of the good and the bad ones. It would be most helpful if Lustbader included a list of characters and their roles as a number of authors do. It would be most helpful, especially for an old guy like me
1
December 5, 2025
White Wolf is my introduction to Eric Van Lustbader. My thoughts and reactions to this book might suffer due to lack of familiarity with the characters involved as this is the 5th book in the Evan Ryder series.
White Wolf is an action packed spy thriller that reminds me of James Bond with its super villains, super skilled spies with super resources plus some super technology thrown in. Making the main characters female was a nice touch. More power to the women.
Overall, I found White Wolf to be a light fantastical spy thriller.
"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?"
Yes, I was. Enough said.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion
White Wolf is an action packed spy thriller that reminds me of James Bond with its super villains, super skilled spies with super resources plus some super technology thrown in. Making the main characters female was a nice touch. More power to the women.
Overall, I found White Wolf to be a light fantastical spy thriller.
"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?"
Yes, I was. Enough said.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion
March 17, 2026
3.5 stars for me. The convoluted and complex tale can only be understandable to those who have read the entire series--there is no picking it up midstream. Given the large number of important characters, the double-crosses, betrayals, and shifting alliances, plus a variety of aliases among multiple characters, I admit I found the storyline difficult to follow at times. But I stuck with it and came out the other end having enjoyed the read.
November 1, 2025
Not up to the high standards of the earlier books. Interesting, but without the depth of characters or plot that I’ve come to expect from the author. I really didn’t care as I read through this book, and the protagonist had been one of my favorites. I received an advertisement copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily printed an honest review.
December 22, 2025
Another great read from Eric Van Lustbader in the Evan Rider series. These books always have a great plot/story, with great pacing, and of course great characters. Can't wait for the next in the series.
January 17, 2026
Took too long to get into. Very technical
March 10, 2026
I always wait with bated breath for new installments in this series. As a writer, Eric's books are lessons in mastery of plot and character, and a lot of darn fine writing.
January 4, 2026
"White Wolf" by Eric Van Lustbader was blah, no where as good as of other Lustbader books. The plot was erratic at best, one dimensional. I speed read thru most of it. Disappointing. 1 to 2 stars.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews